besqueda: search for both memory & love
by Monogatari Rockets
Summary: Set after the entire compliation. When a mysterious, amnesia-ridden young man sporting pure white hair arrives within Gaia, the world is suddenly in panic. Forgotten heroes, secret societies and a new journey. Get ready for the ride...
1. Eyes

**- I -**

**_"Eyes"_**

They soared through the night sky, piercing the darkness like bright, glowing needles, lighting up the heavens as if fireflies. Together with the full moon they illuminated the world like fireworks set off by angels, and the waters beneath, which just simply reflected the overhead spectacle, glistened and shimmered with each ripple, dancing with the stars. The whole scene was just magical.

As she lay there, attempting to make a wish on every star that fell, she just could not stop thinking about the task that lay before her; an objective so imperative, so essential, she was afraid that if she spoke of it aloud the very earth beneath her would crumble.

She brushed a stray strand of her smooth, shining brunette hair from her eyes, piercing bright green, so she could stay fixated on what could only seem possible in a fairytale. An attractive girl – or, she would argue, a young woman – with silky, delicate, pale skin, soft lips and a physique to definitely be jealous of. Yet she was never one to care of what those around her thought of her; their perceptions of her. That's why they had failed. They had failed to achieve what would grant them the starring role in this mystical play. And so, they would never witness what her gem-like eyes caught hold of that very moment.

One falling star did not merely fall, it was crashing. Burning as it streaked towards the earth, beating a blinding white glow that secreted misty pulsations from its shell, it bounded for the ground at a staggering speed. Leaving an ever-so-fine vapour trail in the night sky, littered with glistening stardust from those it has passed along the way, it started to sway and, finally, disappeared behind the mountain.

She was annoyed; her calculations had been off slightly. It should have landed right in front of her. She knew that she did not have time for this, clambering to her feet as a muffled "boom" resonated from behind the peaking rocks, followed by a murky uprising of smoke.

She had to hurry.

* * *

The teenage girl did not like what Wutai had become; a centre for the curious, a town of flashes and food. Put simply, a tourist attraction. And the view from which she was perched, the view that once showed a virtuous, proud home, now gave sight to the hungry leviathan it had manifested into.

The glowing paper lanterns illuminated the pagoda with a warm, fiery atmosphere. Both visitors and residents danced to the notes of ringing acoustic music echoing throughout the pathways, whilst chimes sounded atop the laughter and hanging wires of multi-coloured bulbs accompanied the lanterns. It was inevitable that several would refuse to light.

This so-called 'festival' – something that had never occurred before – was Godo's latest money-making scheme for holiday-goers, and had, apparently, being going on since Wutai's construction. And whilst the girl would never pass the opportunity to snaffle some cold hard cash when presented the access, this was just wrong. Come on, she couldn't even see the stars because of the light radiating from the ground below. She held open her hand in front of her, those brown eyes like fire from the lanterns. A green spherical illumination materialised within her arm.

"Can I have some fun, Fie?" Her self-proclaimed older sister did not herald a reply as the sly seventeen-year-old glared menacingly upon the pagoda. "That means 'yes'."

Outstretching her arm to full length, turning her palm and flicking her finger lightly, dazzling sparks of lightning bulleted from its tip, crackling secretively through the air until reaching the bulb on the very end of that wire. Loud screeches of electricity burst all about the congregation as glass shattered, fuses blew and candle flames vanished into nothing. Gasps of shock and terror filled the square beneath, whilst the most innocent of giggles sounded from the mischievous girl's lips.

"We can see the sky now, can't we Fie?"

Cici turned her head to her sister, but Yuffie Kisaragi had left a long while ago.

* * *

The young woman pressed down fiercely and the bike poured all its strength into allowing her to go faster, as much as the ground beneath its wheels would allow. Belgemine had survived this far getting here with the woman on her seat, she could cope with just a little bit longer. The exhaust spewed clouded smoke and the tyres dried earth.

"_Come on,"_ she willed, _"come on."_

She was thankful that it was only mountain by name and not in substance, otherwise the trek around would take days, and Mistress would never forgive her if she failed to return with the target. The others would laugh at her, dismiss her as a fake. But, then again, she didn't care of what they thought of her.

Did she?

The goggles in front of her eyes subdued their colour, making them appear normal for once. She had no memory of her childhood or her parents, yet she did remember the constant reminders that she was special, and that her eyes made her unique.

When she heard nine years ago that the members of the now-defunct SOLDIER had glowing green eyes due to being injected with Mako energy, she had asked if the same had happened to her. Yet her eyes were indeed natural and, right now, focused on her mission.

* * *

She simply stared at the site: a silent crater of around five metres in diameter with plant life, earth and rocks scattered for rubble, and clouds of dusts which still had not settled. She had brought her shuriken along just in case, which was tied securely to her back, and a pack of spare materia which rested in the pouch on her belt.

Yuffie Kisaragi had raced to the sight ever since seeing what she thought was a shooting star plummet to the ground a mere mile away from Wutai. She wasn't surprised the residents hadn't notices, their music and lights veiled their senses, but she was not as foolish, and her senses were much more attuned. She was, of course, the "Great Warrior Yuffie". But she would never have expected to stumble upon this. A crash-landing airship covered in angry glow worms perhaps, but never this.

The young man lay motionless in the centre of the crater, and Yuffie did not know whether he was dead or just asleep. He was, however, in a woman's eyes, perfect. Smooth skin, a very attractive face with natural good looks, accompanied with unusual, scruffy pure white hair. He seemed around Yuffie's very respectable age of 20, and was just a few inches taller than her as well. His body was at the peak of physical fitness, and she knew this because, well, he was naked.

Before her brown eyes could catch any more, a groan sounded from his closed lips and his eyelids flickered rapidly. Yuffie, blushed, yet cleared her throat and rushed towards the young man like a true heroine. Kneeling beside him she grasped his arms and assisted in getting him to his feet, which she assumed was what he was trying to do.

"Hey." She uttered gently, not wanting to scare him. His shining, crystal-blue eyes opened, and he immediately had the persona of a lost, shy little boy.

She needed to move.

* * *

It was empty. The bloody crash site was empty. She cursed her lateness and brought her fists down upon her bike's handlebars.

_"Shit!"_ She whispered to herself.

She would now have to take matters into her own hands. She just couldn't go back empty handed. She couldn't. The goggles slipped to hang around her neck, releasing her glistening gaze upon the night once more. She adjusted her hair, now tangled from the rapid ride upon Belgemine. She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. Sliding her hand down her leg she removed the cell phone which was strapped to her thigh and dialled. It rang twice until the receiver on the other end was removed.

"Is he back?" She paused to let the voice on the other end of the line answer. "He's needed."

Her hands...


	2. Secrets

**_- II -_**

**_"Secrets"_**

The entire room was silent, surreal almost, as the news of one of their own had spread. A dark essence looked over the team, who were fearing what Boss would do now that she'd found out. The dark cloud stalked their fear, as if it were to suddenly decapitate them, paint its body with emblems of victory using their blood, and showcase their terror-stricken heads atop the society.

It was, indeed, _that_ bad.

One of the ten unfortunate comrades, all of whom, by the way, waiting anxiously at the oak conference table, had reason to fear. His jet red hair allowed him to stand out more than the "competition", and the fact that he was one of the youngest and hot-headed didn't exactly keep him invisible either.

Furthermore, the whole thing was _his_ idea.

He was sweating. Literally sweating. He had been in fire fights, collapsing cities, and even faced the front of apocalyptic materia. But nothing could compare to what was making his pores react this way at the thought of that 22-year-old woman. She's going to kill him, isn't she?

Glancing rapidly at the nine other members, trying not to catch a returning gaze, he knew what they were all thinking;

_"He's fucked up."_ Their voices resonated within his mind. _"He's screwed us over good."_

_ "Bastard."_

_ "How on earth could he have lost it?"_

_ "He's dead."_

He shut his eyes, which, surprisingly, shut out the voices. He was wondering what in heaven's name he was doing here. What was the deal again? Why had he left his previous post? His friends? His teammates…?

"Ma'am!"

His head shot to the door which he had not heard open; his heart racing, his bright hair soaked with dread. The young woman, holding her head above all the rest, arms folded and beauty reigning, stared warningly at her subordinates. She loved being the boss. Her long, wavy auburn hair, thick and luscious, it complemented her deep hazel eyes. And her voice, like sugar, was too sweet to be their 'sovereign',

"Where's Reno?"

*** * ***

He could hear faint yelling; arguments from both sexes being delivered, but their words were muffled.

"_What is this…?"_

A wave of many emotions washed over him at this point fear, bewilderment, exasperation, and rebirth. It was as if he had been given a second chance. But, had he ever been given a first? He was scared again, like the nightmare he recalled, and was afraid that the black thorns would materialise around his neck and enclose; drawing the most precious thing he had out of him. He then tried to access his memories:

What the-?

The shouting had ended. The darkness, of which he could only see until now, was starting to fade, and with it came blindness from the light, so bright he had to shut his eyes again. Opening just one, too nervous to open the other, he laid his eyes on golden rays of warm, luscious sunlight spilling into the room through the clear, white-paned windows a little in front to his right.

My god, those were clean windows.

He was in a bed. A very comfortable bed, with covers painted in golden linen and bronze roses. The sheets were clean too. The walls of the square chamber were made of pale wood; poles of logs sliced finely to construct them. He couldn't think of what type of wood it was, and with good reason.

Moving his eyes around the room he noticed another, extraordinary sight, yet this one did, indeed, take his breath away. It was no more than six foot tall, quite lower actually, with lengthy brown hair, lovely brown eyes, and skin that…

Wait a minute.

"Hey." She spoke, calm and motherly.

His eyes were now completely open, scanning her in rushed anxiety. He sat up with a start, the soft sheets of the bed flowing like wind over his body, and rested on his elbows as his eyes darted around the room once again in panic. The girl did nothing to attempt to put his mind at rest, and just giggled childishly at his cute confusion. He was like an adorable new, naïve dog. No; a puppy.

"Cici, please don't frighten him." This voice was also female, youthful, and you could tell it was carefree, yet the tone was no less than sombre. It was also recognisable to the young man. The girl standing over him turned and gave view to the owner of the voice, leaving serenely on the doorframe of the open entrance.

"Fie, he's such a catch! Is this what you've been doing late at night?" Cici squealed girlishly following the tease on the older girl, signalling to the boy in the bed. Yuffie discarded the question and looked at the floor, her eyes glazed over in contemplation; she did not want to tell her younger counter-part what had happened the night before. She had not slept since she had carried him back to Wutai – which she _knew_ was a bad idea, a leech of suspicion on her conscience. So many thoughts and feelings had plagued her since the encounter, some positively terrifying it could shatter even the most resilient of hearts.

"Name." she glared straight in the centre of his crystal eyes, as if just that single action could fiercely penetrate his soul. He opened his mouth yet no words sounded. "What's your name?"

He didn't know what to say.

"Look," she continued, it was obvious that she was starting to get aggravated, "I almost killed my dad just for letting you sleep here. Give me the decorousness to at least –"

"I… don't know…"

His voice was tender and calming, yet youthful like the façade his heart was projecting. Eight yet twenty-eight; you couldn't tell.

"Do I… have a name…?"

*** * ***

She elegantly strode towards the cluster of terrified work colleagues that sat before her, the shadowy walls around her only highlighting her status, a silk leg-skirt gliding softly behind her, the only sound in the room being the heels atop the marble floor.

Of course she knew who Reno was. In fact, it was him who she had worked with the most, due to a mixture of both professional and personal reasons. Being so young she had not, properly, experienced the vast and intriguing history of this world. Shinra, SOLDIER, Mako, Cetra, Meteor, Sephiroth. This list was ongoing, and her sponge-like mind craved for the knowledge, seeping exotic juices from the timeline. And who knew it better than Reno? This goal was partly the reason why she founded GLORIA; those who know all, see all, _are_ all. Well, that and to permanently place her own stamp into the records.

The world will forever know the name Alyssa Elsa, and the life-changing feats that she has - and will – accomplish.

That is, if she ever gets what happened out of her red-headed 'friend'.

She was leaning over him now, hands resting on the desk in front of him, those magically abnormal dark-purple eyes radiating interrogation and false forgiveness.

"Where is the Aimata?" Reno didn't know how to reply. The ambush aboard his vessel had been so sudden he wasn't quite sure just what had happened. But silence was not a clever thing to at this moment in time. Alyssa sighed. "You can't just lose a future-generation materia, and not one of that calibre." She closed her eyes; her voice was a lecture of disappointment. "The clock is ticking, someone knows about GLORIA – the most clandestine and underground social order in time and existence – and history's greatest weapon is missing. I am not a happy girl."

Her eyes opened, and a stuttering Reno found her no more than an inch from his face, her breath mingling with his. She whispered deathly,

"Where is he…?

*** * ***

The young woman stood atop the giant rock face, her green eyes shimmering within the glorious sunshine, her gaze fixated upon the ninja village below, Belgemine hidden between the crooked rocks and shrubbery behind her.

He had hooked her up good; she could feel the fresh powers inside of her pumping about her body, pulsating within her heart. If he liked assisting her now, then why didn't he let her join the Turks before they disbanded? Anyway, it didn't matter now – her new job was far too more imperative and enlivening than anything before. The world did not know of their existence, and GLORIA had no idea what hit them.

With the village below unaware of what was about to occur, she began to glow; the wind around her strengthened, and she fashioned a steamy white light from her body. The modified Aimata was working, it was time to get the _real_ one, and Wutai was _there_.

"Lily's gonna get ya…"


	3. Names

**- III -**

_**"Names"**_

The mountain had been quite a trek, and he wondered if leaving the village – his room even – was a smart idea. Gazing down upon Wutai Village, he lay eyes on a spectacle indeed; the grey-tiled rooftops of the buildings outlined by the bright red wood of fences, beams and posts; the sandy-brown and pale green ground on which they stood, just no more than a metre above the shimmering blue stream that ran like a watercolour painting through the village, under bridges, cutting through the thick forests to reach the dazzling pagoda.

He was sitting, resting against one of the faces of Da Chao, staring blankly outwards into the clear, sun-breached sky. He was confused, frightened and lost. He had no thought as to who he was, or how he even came to be. He knew nothing, yet, somehow knew everything; a blank slate with just a tiny blot of spreading ink that held the central knowledge. However, it was surprising how well he was taking it, and he felt no subconscious weight on either his body or his heart. And, like Wutai Village before him, he was for the first time in his existence – and probably for a while to come – serene.

His eyes reflected that serenity, gleaming vibrantly with transcendent possibilities.

"A sight and-a-half, isn't it?"

Yuffie Kisaragi had followed him, like the ninja she was, and had left him alone with his thoughts for a while, contemplating some of her own. She was dressed in her usual attire, headband catching the light, encircling breeze that always managed to find its way up to this height. She met eyes – those eyes – with the young man, until switching to the view surrounding her, of which he did the same. "You seem to be feeling better."

He nodded in contempt. "I feel greatly… refreshed." His voice was youthful, but was painted with an implausible maturity. Yuffie realised that how could he feel any different? He had no life story that he knew of. Hers had been digging at her for quite a while.

"When I left here to, well, basically save the world –"  
"Save the world?" He was impressed.

"Yeah. Multiple times." Yuffie replied proudly. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, when I _did_ leave, there was a part of me that missed this place. But, to be honest, now, I've gone beyond caring." She didn't seem saddened. The young man pondered; has her home no longer become her home? Maybe, if he stuck with this girl, he would learn about this world and, somehow, remember…

"Do you… miss adventure?"

"Too much!" She answered quickly, almost too quickly. "But my friends have disbanded, many haven't been heard from in years, and I have my new responsibilities here". He glanced her at in a way to enquire about what she meant. "I'm next in line to rule after my father." She sighed. "God, he's really screwed this place over"

She seemed more annoyed now, than saddened.

The young man felt sorry for her, sensing her sorrow, her loss.

_"What is this… feeling…?"_

The world replied; empathy…

"And you don't want to." He confirmed her wishes. What Yuffie wanted more than anything in the world was to relive what she had lived. She was only twenty for God's sake, and she was already having these judgments. "You're taking a great interest in me."

"That's because," she glared that penetrating glare at him once again, yet this time it was lathered with anticipation and hope, "I can't help but think that you're the answer." There was a pause.

She moved from where she had been leaning all this time and gently sat down next to him, swinging her legs over the edge of the mountain. She turned to meet his gaze once again, those ice, crystallised blue gems radiating nothing but… no, nothing.

"Eyes…" she whispered. He looked back perplexedly. "That'll be your name: Eyes."

* * *

"What's happening?" The rugged-haired, dashing suit of a man was puzzled. "Not just a second ago this was as problematic as 'No.I'. Now you're just shrugging it off?"

Alyssa sat cross-legged upon her somewhat throne-like position in her office, resting her head upon her limp wrist, absorbing the scent of black leather and dark mahogany. She loved what she had created. Everything. It was her ecstasy, her pill. Everything but _that_.

"The mention of Big Sis is intolerable." Her face depicted no distinct expression yet she spoke with immediate remorse. How vexatious he was to bring up that incident. If it weren't for the interference and mediation of the Turks, the whole world would have known of GLORIA, and her life would be of no importance; Gaia would've been over before anyone knew of a threat.

How could she have been so stupid?

The associate cleared his throat and looked down at the floor apologetically. Then he continued.

"Are you sure Reno's capable?"

"He's the only one I would trust in this baggage of a team." She wasn't holding back. Was she annoyed at the people underneath her, or still aggravated by his previous remark? The man could not tell, and could only help but feel slightly hurt by her words. "The people here know shit. Theirs is no room for old people in 'important' professions."

"But... the eldest here is barely thirty!" He was fighting a losing argument that wasn't even his.

"And how old am I, Nikolai?"

"Nikolai turned away from her in disapproval. He hated the genius sometimes, even if she _was_ just nineteen. "Reno's leaving in a bit," she knew she had won, "I want you to meet him at Junon and accompany him. Find the Aimata so we can finish the project."

Nikolai turned to walk away, yet spun to face the girl one last time before departing.

"Do you really not trust me?"

"Don't worry," she replied somewhat warmly, "it doesn't mean that I don't love you, brother."

* * *

The woman behind the information book had caught sight of the girl entering the village, and had started talking to her automatically; her was her job after all, albeit slight – or greatly in fact – annoying. She said nothing out of the ordinary, the pleasant "Welcome" and the offer of one of the pamphlets that lat neatly strewn about her book, gesturing as her role commanded.

"How about 'Wutai and Mako'?" she asked cheerfully, her rosy, middle-aged cheeks rose with a smile, "a complete document of Shinra's effect on the country."

"The young woman simple glared at her darkly; her gem-like green eyes hosting pure menace, her smooth brown her shimmering in the sunlight. She spoke quietly, disregarding the other woman's question and joyful demeanour.

"You want to help me?" she hissed, "I'm looking for something."

* * *

The helicopter had been waiting a while for him, and as Reno walked across the landing strip, red hair scattering wildly from the rapid pumping of the propellers, his eats being bullied by their deafening noise, he didn't know what he should feel. Disappointment? Excitement? Loss?

It had been his fault that the Aimata had been lost, yet he had been given the highly sought-after mission of retrieving it. God, the others must be so jealous. In fact, all knowledge that he was actually in trouble had faded from his memory. The only though in his mind was just describing him as being the best.

That _was_ Reno, after all.

The step into the helicopter was quite a steep one, yet the clumsy stumble inside after doing so also let him shut the door with his collapse onto one of the leather seats in the back. They were empty, yet he knew that they were picking up his colleagues on the way there. However, he wasn't expecting the individual piloting this expedition.

"All strapped in, sir?" she spoke mockingly.

"E…Elena…?"

* * *

Yuffie had rushed to the village as soon as she had seen the rising smoke, cutting Eyes off mid-sentence and leaving him atop the stone mountain. She had no clue as to what was going on, yet she was praying that it was just something minute; a small, wayward bulb that had caught alight and that it wasn't anything big,

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Every single tree surrounding the village was ablaze; scorching radiance of yellow and red replaced the luscious green. The sky was darkening with grey smoke, soot and ash rose with the earth. People were screaming, children were crying, yet the girl could not see anyone from where she was. All Yuffie was concentrated on was the glowing figure of immense power staring straight at her, the chaos emanating from her very spot.

Yuffie Kisaragi," exclaimed Lily, ""give me the Aimata!"


End file.
